JP7154741B2 - heating tool - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a heating tool such as a disposable body warmer.

Disposable body warmers have been conventionally used as heating tools for warming the body (see, for example, Patent Document 1), and are frequently used because of their excellent portability, safety, convenience, etc., and low cost.

A general disposable body warmer has an exothermic composition that generates heat upon contact with air enclosed in an air-permeable inner bag. By holding the disposable body warmer in hand and rubbing it, the air comes into almost uniform contact with the exothermic composition in the inner bag, causing the exothermic composition to generate heat.

JP-A-5-208031

Such disposable body warmers control the heat generation temperature by adjusting the amount of air that is brought into contact with the exothermic composition. For example, when a synthetic resin film is used as the material of the inner bag, perforations are provided in the synthetic resin film in order to impart breathability to the inner bag. The amount of contacting air is adjusted.

Here, the heat generation temperature of disposable body warmers decreases as the temperature of the environment in which they are used decreases. Therefore, in order to obtain a higher exothermic temperature, it is necessary to increase the air permeability of the inner bag to allow more air to come into contact with the exothermic composition. Therefore, when the size and number of perforations in the inner bag are increased, there is a problem that the exothermic composition inside leaks out from the inner bag. In addition, if the inner bag is made more breathable, even when the disposable body warmer is not in use (for example, when it is just put in a pocket), a large amount of air comes into contact with the heat-generating composition, and the heat-generating composition is greatly dissipated. Since the heat is generated, the heat generation temperature of the disposable body warmer is always high, and there is also the problem that it becomes too hot when used in a relatively high temperature environment such as indoors. As described above, the conventional disposable body warmer has a problem that it cannot be adjusted to a suitable temperature according to the use scene and the use environment.

The present invention has been made with a focus on the above-described problems, and by raising the heat generation temperature when necessary without increasing the air permeability of the inner bag, it is possible to adjust the temperature appropriately according to the usage scene and usage environment. To provide a heating tool capable of

The above-mentioned object of the present invention is to provide an exothermic composition that generates heat when it comes into contact with air, an inner bag that is air permeable and encloses the exothermic composition, and that is capable of containing air inside. , and an air absorbing and releasing material that deforms to draw and/or release air.

In the heating tool having the above structure, the air absorbing/releasing material is preferably enclosed in the inner bag, but the air absorbing/releasing material may be integrated with the inner bag.

In the heating tool having the above structure, the air absorbing/releasing material is preferably an elastic porous body, and more preferably a sponge.

According to the heating tool of the present invention, when the user holds the heating tool in his/her hand and kneads it during use, the air absorbing/releasing material is deformed by the action of the external force applied by the hand and releases the air inside to the outside. and/or draw outside air inside. As a result, more air comes into contact with the exothermic composition, so that the exothermic temperature can be raised even in a low-temperature environment without increasing the air permeability of the inner bag. Furthermore, since there is no need to increase the air permeability of the inner bag, the heating temperature of the heating tool does not rise excessively when the heating tool is not used or when the heating tool is used in a high-temperature environment without being rubbed. Therefore, it is possible to adjust the temperature appropriately according to the use scene and the use environment.

1 is a plan view of a heating tool according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1; FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sponge that is an example of an air absorbing/releasing material; FIG. It is an explanatory view showing the use state of the heating tool. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a heating tool according to another embodiment of the present invention; It is a graph which shows the temperature change of the heating temperature of a heating tool. It is a graph which shows the temperature change of the heating temperature of a heating tool. It is a graph which shows the temperature change of the heating temperature of a heating tool.

Hereinafter, embodiments of a heating tool according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The heat generating tool 1 includes an exothermic composition 2, an inner bag 3, and an air absorbing/releasing material 4, as shown in FIGS. In the heating tool 1 of this embodiment, an exothermic composition 2 and an air absorbing/releasing material 4 are enclosed in an inner bag 3 . An example of the heating tool 1 is a disposable body warmer, which can be held in the hand and applied to various parts of the body such as limbs, waist, back, abdomen, soles, shoulders, buttocks, etc. to give heat. can. The heating tool 1 is housed in an airtight outer bag (not shown) before use.

The exothermic composition 2 generates heat upon contact with air. Examples of the exothermic composition 2 include oxidizable metals, activated carbon, carbon black, water retention agents (wood flour, vermiculite, diatomaceous earth, perlite, silica gel, alumina, water-absorbent resin, etc.), metal salts (salt, etc.). and water in appropriate amounts, and known compositions conventionally used in disposable body warmers can be used.

The inner bag 3 has a flat bag-like shape with a rectangular front surface and a back surface in plan view, and has an internal space capable of enclosing the exothermic composition 2 therein. In this embodiment, the inner bag 3 is formed by stacking two sheets of a first sheet material 30 and a second sheet material 31 which are rectangular in plan view and form front and back surfaces, and the four side edges are sealed using a known adhesive. It is formed into a bag-like shape by (bonding) or thermal bonding (heat sealing). Alternatively, one sheet material may be folded and overlapped, and the three side edges may be sealed (bonded) with an adhesive or thermally bonded (heat-sealed) to form a bag.

Both sheet members 30 and 31 have flexibility so that the heating tool 1 can be massaged by hand and fitted to the body. At least one of the sheet members 30 and 31, the first sheet member 30, has air permeability.

As the first sheet material 30, it is preferable to use a resin film in consideration of strength, durability against heat generation of the exothermic composition 2, and the like. Although the resin used for the resin film is not particularly limited, it is preferable to use a thermoplastic resin. Examples of thermoplastic resins include polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, polyamide, polyurethane, polystyrene, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polycarbonate, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, and the like. , polypropylene, and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer can be preferably exemplified. These resins may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

A plurality of perforations (not shown) are formed in the resin film used for the first sheet material 30 in order to ensure breathability, and air communicates between the inside and outside of the inner bag 3 through the plurality of perforations. . The perforations may be formed evenly over the entire resin film, or may be densely formed in a portion of the resin film. The size of the perforations is not particularly limited as long as it is large enough to prevent the exothermic composition 2 from leaking to the outside of the inner bag 3, but is preferably 0.1 mm or more and 0.3 mm or less. can. The outer shape and number of perforations are also not particularly limited, and the size, shape, and number of perforations are appropriately set in consideration of the sensible temperature of the heating tool 1 during use according to the air permeability of the inner bag 3 . A conventionally known method can be used as a method for forming perforations in the resin film.

In addition, considering that the first sheet material 30 is good to the touch of the heating tool 1, a woven or nonwoven fabric having air permeability is further used, and the woven or nonwoven fabric is laminated on the resin film. It is preferable to configure by In this case, the resin film is arranged on the inner side facing the exothermic composition 2, and the woven or non-woven fabric is arranged on the outer side.

Breathable woven or non-woven fiber materials include synthetic fibers such as nylon, vinylon, polyester, rayon, acrylic, polyethylene, polypropylene, acetate, polyvinyl chloride, and polybutylene terephthalate, cotton, linen, silk, and paper. and natural fibers, and mixed fibers of synthetic fibers and natural fibers. Among them, from the viewpoint of providing a good feel to the touch, examples of fiber materials include nylon, polyester, polypropylene, and the like, and more preferably nylon and polyester. These fibrous materials may be used alone or in combination of two or more. The basis weight of the woven fabric or non-woven fabric is not particularly limited as long as it can prevent the exothermic composition 2 from leaking out of the inner bag 3, but a preferred example is 20 g/m ² or more and 70 g/m ² or less. can be done.

The other second sheet material 31 can be composed of a single resin film or a laminate obtained by laminating a woven or nonwoven fabric on a resin film, like the first sheet material 30 described above. As the resin used for the resin film and the fibrous material of the woven fabric or non-woven fabric, the same ones as those exemplified for the first sheet material 30 can be preferably exemplified. The resin film forming the second sheet material 31 may or may not have perforations for securing air permeability.

The thicknesses of the first sheet material 30 and the second sheet material 31 are not particularly limited, but the smaller the thickness, the softer the heating tool 1 and the easier it is to fit in the hand. It is preferable that the thickness is about 0.1 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less.

The air absorbing/releasing material 4 has a space in which air can be contained therein, and is deformed to release the air in the space to the outside and/or suck in the outside air into the space. is. Specifically, the air absorbing/releasing material 4 releases internal air to the outside as it contracts and deforms, and sucks in outside air as it expands and deforms. The air absorbing/releasing material 4 may absorb and release air by repeating compression deformation and expansion deformation each time an external force is applied. It is preferable to try to get back into shape. As a result, once the external force is applied, the contraction deformation (or compression deformation) is performed to release the internal air to the outside (or the external air is sucked in), and then the external force is removed to automatically expand and restore (or contraction and recovery) to suck in outside air (internal air is released to the outside). As the elasticity, it is sufficient that the air absorbing/releasing material 4, which has been deformed by an external force, tries to return to its original shape, and does not necessarily need to have the property of completely returning to its original shape. Moreover, it is preferable that the air absorbing/releasing material 4 further has flexibility so that it can be easily deformed.

As the air absorbing/releasing material 4, for example, a porous body can be preferably used. The porous body has a structure in which there are small holes, cracks, voids, and other spaces inside as the spaces, and air is contained in the spaces, and the air in the spaces is released to the outside as the space shrinks and deforms. outside air is sucked into the space as it expands and deforms. Since the porous body has elasticity, it can be automatically restored (expanded or shrunk) when the external force is removed, after being deformed (shrinked or expanded) by the application of the external force.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3, a sponge 40 can be preferably used as the elastic porous body. As the sponge 40, synthetic sponge mainly made of synthetic resin materials such as urethane resin and melamine resin, natural sponge mainly made of natural materials such as sea sponge and cellulose, synthetic rubber, and rubber materials such as natural rubber are mainly used. Various sponges can be used, such as a rubber sponge. Among these, it is preferable to use urethane sponge. The urethane sponge is filled with fine pores, is flexible and has high elasticity (restoring property), and can be used at a low cost on the market.

The size of the sponge 40 is not particularly limited as long as it can be enclosed in the inner bag 3, but the sponge 40 is as large as possible within the inner bag 3 so that it can contain a large amount of air. volume. The sponge 40 may be one large sponge having a predetermined volume enclosed in the inner bag 3 as shown in FIG. may be divided into a plurality of (two in the illustrated example) small sponges and enclosed in the inner bag 3 . Also, the shape of the sponge 40 is not particularly limited, and various shapes such as rectangular parallelepiped, cubic, spherical, ellipsoidal, and columnar can be used.

The air absorbing/releasing material 4 is not necessarily limited to a porous material such as sponge. For example, as the air absorbing/releasing material 4, an elastic hollow body can be used. The hollow body has a space inside and has at least one communication port that communicates the space with the outside. The air in the space is released to the outside, and the outside air is sucked into the space by expanding and deforming. Since the hollow body has elasticity, the hollow body deformed (contracted or expanded) by applying an external force can be automatically restored (expanded or contracted) when the external force is removed. This elastic hollow body can be made of a rubber material or a synthetic resin material.

The shape of the hollow body is not particularly limited, and various shapes such as bag-like, box-like, cylindrical, bellows-like, and spherical can be used. The dimensions of the hollow body are not particularly limited, either. For example, it is preferable that the inner bag 3 has a sufficient number as much as possible.

The above-mentioned porous bodies and hollow bodies are normally in a flattened state. It may be one that shrinks to release internal air to the outside.

According to the heating tool 1 configured as described above, as shown in FIG. 4, when the user holds the heating tool 1 in his or her hand during use, the air absorbing/releasing material 4 is deformed ( For example, it contracts), thereby releasing the air in the air absorbing/releasing material 4 to the outside. At this time, the air released from the air absorbing/releasing material 4 comes into contact with the exothermic composition 2 . Further, when the user opens the hand holding the heating tool 1, the air absorbing/releasing material 4 deforms (for example, expands) in an attempt to return to its original shape as the external force applied by the hand is removed. Outside air is ventilated into the inner bag 3 through the perforations and sucked into the air absorbing/releasing material 4 . At this time, the air sucked into the air absorbing/releasing material 4 comes into contact with the exothermic composition 2 . When the exothermic tool 1 is kneaded and this operation is repeated, a large amount of air comes into contact with the exothermic composition 2 inside the inner bag 3, and the exothermic composition 2 effectively generates heat. The exothermic temperature can be greatly increased. Therefore, even if the temperature of the environment in which the heating tool 1 is used is low, it is possible to provide good heat due to the high heat generation temperature.

On the other hand, when the heat-generating tool 1 is not used (for example, when it is just put in a pocket) or when the heat-generating tool 1 is used in a high-temperature environment without rubbing, the heat-generating composition 2 is provided with perforations. Since only the ventilated air contacts the inside of the inner bag 3, the heat generation of the exothermic composition 2 is suppressed, the heat generation temperature of the heating tool 1 does not rise greatly, and the heating tool 1 does not reach a high temperature.

In this way, with the heating tool 1 configured as described above, the heat generation temperature can be raised when necessary, and an excessive rise in the heat generation temperature can be suppressed at other times. can be adjusted to

Furthermore, according to the heating tool 1 configured as described above, the heat generation temperature is increased without increasing the air permeability of the inner bag 3, so the size and number of perforations provided in the synthetic resin film constituting the inner bag 3 can be increased. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the exothermic composition 2 inside the inner bag 3 from leaking out of the inner bag 3.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the air absorbing/releasing material 4 is sealed inside the inner bag 3 , but it may be integrated with the inner bag 3 . Specifically, it may be attached to the inner side (exothermic composition 2 side) or the outer side of the breathable first sheet material 30 of the inner bag 3 . Further, as shown in FIG. 5, when the first sheet member 30 is configured by a laminate in which a woven or nonwoven fabric 30A is laminated on a resin film 30B, the woven or nonwoven fabric 30A and the resin film 30B are interposed between the woven or nonwoven fabric 30A and the resin film 30B. You may let

In the above-described embodiment, the inner bag 3 has a rectangular shape in a plan view, but it is not limited to a rectangular shape, and various other shapes such as a square shape, a circular shape, an elliptical shape, and a polygonal shape such as a hexagonal shape can be used. can do.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, only one enclosing space for the exothermic composition 2 is provided in the inner bag 3, but a plurality of enclosing spaces may be partitioned and provided.

Examples of the present invention will be described below. In addition, the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

First, as an example, an exothermic composition containing 53% iron powder, 12% activated carbon, 2.6% vermiculite, 2.5% water-absorbing resin, 1.6% salt and 28.3% water was placed in an inner bag. Perforated nylon non ^- woven fabric/polyethylene resin breathable inner bag ⁽ dimensions: 130 mm x 95 mm ). In addition, a urethane sponge of a predetermined size (“Cut Sponge Hard SR01-4585 (urethane foam”), imported and sold by Kohnan Shoji Co., Ltd.) was placed in an inner bag as an air absorbing/releasing material and sealed to obtain a heating tool. After that, the heating tool was quickly placed in an air-impermeable outer bag.The dimensions (width x length x thickness) of the urethane sponges were 60 mm x 80 mm x 10 mm (Example 1) and 60 mm x 60 mm x 10 mm, respectively. (Example 2) was prepared, and each of them was housed in a separate inner bag to produce two types of heating tools. A heating tool was produced.

The heating tools of Examples 1 and 2 and Comparative Example were stored in an outer bag and stored for one day in an environment with a temperature of 20° C.±1° C. and a humidity of 55% to 70%. After storage, under the same environment, remove each heating tool from the outer bag, attach the temperature sensor to the surface of the inner bag with tape, and then place the temperature sensor on the other side of the heating tool. The heat generation temperature of the heating tool was measured for 40 minutes while holding the surface in hand and rubbing the heating tool once every 5 seconds. The measurement results are shown in FIG.

In addition, the heating tools of Example 2 and Comparative Example were stored in an outer bag in an environment at a temperature of 5° C. for one day. After storage, under the same environment, remove each heating tool from the outer bag, attach the temperature sensor to the surface of the inner bag with tape, and then place the temperature sensor on the other side of the heating tool. The heat generation temperature of the heat generating tool was measured for 50 minutes while holding the surface in hand and rubbing the heat generating tool once every 5 seconds. The measurement results are shown in FIG.

In addition, the heating tool of Example 1 was stored in an outer bag for one day in an environment with a temperature of 20° C.±1° C. and a humidity of 55% to 70%. After storage, under the same environment, the heating tool was taken out from the outer bag, and the temperature sensor was attached to the surface of the inner bag with tape. After rubbing the heating tool, the heating tool was placed on the hand without rubbing for 20 minutes, and then the heating tool was again rubbed for 15 minutes at a pace of once every 5 seconds to lower the heat generation temperature of the heating tool. Measured. The measurement results are shown in FIG.

As is clear from FIG. 6, the heating temperature of the heating tool in Examples 1 and 2 is much higher than that in Comparative Example, and the heating temperature of the heating tool in Examples 1 and 2 is 10° C. or higher than that in Comparative Example. was confirmed to be on the rise. In addition, as is clear from FIG. 7, in a low-temperature environment, the heating temperature of the heating tool in Example 2 is about 20° C. higher than that in the comparative example. It was found that even if the temperature is low, a good thermal effect can be imparted due to the high exothermic temperature.

Moreover, as is clear from FIG. 8, it was confirmed that the heat generation temperature of the heating tool of Example 1 decreased to about 40° C. when the heating tool was not used without being kneaded. Therefore, it was found that the heating tool of Example 1 did not raise the heat generation temperature significantly when not in use, and the heating tool did not always reach a high temperature.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 heating tool 2 exothermic composition 3 inner bag 4 air absorbing/releasing material

Claims (1)

an exothermic composition that generates heat upon contact with air;
an inner bag that is breathable by providing a plurality of perforations that allow both ventilation from the outside to the inside and from the inside to the outside;
an air absorbing/releasing material capable of containing air inside and deforming to absorb and/or release air;
The exothermic composition and the air absorbing/releasing material are sealed inside the inner bag,
At least part of the air absorbing/releasing material is sandwiched between the exothermic compositions ,
The air absorbing/releasing material is composed of a sponge that is a porous body having elasticity,
heating tool .

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